Cleat for athletic shoes



Dec. 18, 1956 o, DAHLQUIST ET AL 2,774,151

CLEAT FOR ATHLETIC SHOES Filed Jan. 20. 1955 k f K 2' 10; scar if Daklquist Edwin Z. dim son United States Patent CLEAT FOR ATHLETIC SHOES Oscar E. Dahlquist and Edwin I. Ackerson, Rockford, Ill. Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 483,068

1 Claim. (CI. 36-59) This invention relates to improved cleats, and means for securely attaching the same to athletic shoes.

We are aware of Smith Patent No. 2,276,887, relating to an athletic shoe in which each cleat threads onto a post projecting from the bottom of the shoe and cooperates with a disk of frictional and distortable material that is assembled on the post and adapted to be compressed between the cleat and a series of circumferentially spaced lugs provided on a plate fixed to the bottom of the shoe, the intermediate disk being relied upon to hold the cleat against accidental loosening and removal but permit removal of a cleat when that is desired. It is an important object of our invention to provide cleats designed to cooperate directly with the aforementioned lugs on the plates for positive locking purposes, the cleats provided in accordance with our invention being die cast and having ratchet teeth provided thereon arranged for direct positive locking engagement with the punched-out lugs on the plates when the cleats are tightened firmly with a wrench, the cleats when so fastened being removable only with a wrench by application of suficient force to shear off the die-cast ratchet teeth, the turning force required for removal in that way being at least equal to, if not substantially greater than that applied in the original application of the cleats, and certainly far greater than that apt to be applied to the cleats under ordinary playing conditions, so that there is definitely eliminated any likelihood of cleats accidentally loosening and coming ofi.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in Which- Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional detail through the sole portion of a football shoe showing a cleat and its mounting, both made in accordance with our invention, the cleat being shown threaded only part-way home in spaced relation to the base plate to better illustrate the construction, the cleat being shown in section on the line 11 of Fig. 2, except enlarged to the same extent as the mounting;

Figs. 2 and 3 are an end view and a side view of a cleat removed from the post and shown about full size,

' and Fig. 4 is a face view of the base plate on the same scale as Figs. 2 and 3 taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

The same reference numerals are applied to correspond ing parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 5 designates the new and improved die cast cleat provided in accordance with our invention. Making the cleats die cast, as compared, for example, to making them as a screw machine product from hexagonal aluminum bar stock, has a number of advantages, to wit:

1. The cleats are just as cheap, if not cheaper and also just as durable, if not more so;

2. It permits providing the ratchet teeth 6 radially of the counterbore 7 at no increase in cost, and

3. The die cast metal is hard enough in relation to the punchedout inclined lugs 8 that are provided in circumferentially spaced relation in the circular sheet metal base plate 9, so that when the cleat is tightened on the post cause the lugs 8 to take hold on the teeth and give a positive locking action, the teeth 6 nevertheless being soft enough in relation to the lugs 8 to be shearedotf when a sufiicient force is applied to the cleat with a wrench in the loosening direction, as when a worn-out cleat is to be removed for replacement by a new one.

The plate 9 may be and preferably is the same as the base plate shown in the aforesaid Smith patent and is fas tened onto the bottom 11 of the shoe with the post 10 extending through a central hole 12 on the plate and swedged over on the outer side of the plate around the hole, as indicated at 13, to fasten the two parts together. A fiat head 14 is provided on the inner end of the post and is covered by the insole 15. The plate 9 is held against turning around the post 10 as a center by being anchored to the bottom 11 by spur projections 16 struck from the periphery of the plate at circumferentially spaced points. The lugs 8 previously mentioned are all struck outwardly from the plate in the same angular relationship thereto and in the same direction in equally circumferentially spaced relation and are ail disposed on a radius within the radius of the ratchet teeth 6 so that the ratchet teeth will move into locking engagement therewith when the cleat 5 is threaded home against the plate 9. The flat face 17 on the cleat 5 around the counterbore 7 in which'the ratchet teeth 6 are provided, is preferably knurled radially, as indicated in Fig. 2, to provide some additional frictional resistance against turning when the cleat 5 has been tightened firmly against the plate 9. However, the principal resistance to turning of the cleat in a loosening direction is, of course, afforded by the interlocking action of the lugs 8 on the ratchet teeth 6, and, as mentioned before, this locking action is positive so that there is no likelihood of a cleat coming off accidentally. However, when a Wrench is applied to the facets 18 and the cleat is turned forcibly in a loosening direction, the ratchet teeth 6 are stripped by the cutting action of the harder lugs 8, so that it is not too difficult to remove cleats that are worn and should be replaced.

In closing, attention is called to the semi-spherical shape of the outer end or tip 19 of the cleat 5. This, taken with the taper 20 of the sides 9f the otherwise generally conicalshaped body. of the cleat and the outwardly curved flare 21 of the base portion of the body toward the facets 18, accounts for greatly improved performance of these cleats. The rounding at 19 reduces swedging and accordingly reduces the likelihood of sharp edges being produced apt to scratch and cut players in tackling. That shape at the tip end, taken along with the taper of the sides and the flare toward the base, improves the ground-gripping action by virtueof the easier penetration of the turf, and reduces the tendency for mud to adhere to and between the cleats, thereby making for less interference with running.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of our invention. The appended claim has been drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

We claim:

For attachment to an athletic shoe sole, in combination, a metallic cleat of generally frusto-conical form the larger end of which forms the base thereof, a screwmember for connecting said cleat to the sole, and a centrally perforated metallic plate applicable to said screw member intermediate the sole and cleat having means projecting from opposite sides thereof, the projecting means on one side being to grip the sole and secure the plate against rotation relative thereto, and the projecting means on theother side being in the form of spring lugs in circumferentially spaced relation to the screw receiving hole and all inclined in one direction and at approximately the same, acute angle with respect to said plate, said cleat having an axial Patented Dec. 18, 1956..

" bcire threi'dedft threaded engagement on said screw and having circumferentially arranged with respect t6 said" bore on the base a circular series of radial ratchet teeth arranged for deflection of the spring lugsfind positive ratchet ldcking' engagetnentwith saidlugs when'the'eleat 5 is tightenedfl'n the screw against the plate, the metal of the" radihrzitcliet teeth 'beingdie-cast metal which is softer than the metal 'Qf'said spring lugs and plate,*where- I by therat'che't teeth on the cleat are adapted to be stripfied by the "cutting action of the lugs on the die-cast metal of the teeth when the cleat is forcibly' turnedin a lo osening directi on with a farce appreciably greater'than that to titins.

which the cleat is snbjected under ordinaryplaying conqt References Cited in'the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS Fuller Aug. 8, 19391 

